Steve Whitby’s Programs

Shaving the Yak: Making Change Happen

Sometimes, our leaders and our groups get stuck on things that simply aren’t important. A particular tradition, expectation or habit might feel critical, but it’s actually holding us back from what we could be doing. Shaving the Yak is about readjusting our focus, rediscovering our purpose, and making those critical first steps toward something new and meaningful. Themes of this keynote or training session include dealing with change, communicating a vision, thinking at a higher level, being a servant leader, and facing critical moments with poise.

Complex Problems & Simple Solutions

Risk Management Training for Sorority and Fraternity Leaders

Fraternity and sorority leaders face complex problems in the area of risk management including policy knowledge and implementation, campus culture, behaviors and actions of other organizations on campus and – let’s face it – behaviors of some members.
Maybe it’s time for the leaders in our communities to get on the same page; have hard conversations, become educated and embrace that YOU are the change agents of the fraternity and sorority community. As a result of the training, participants will engage in a community conversation around problems in the area of risk management. They will achieve a better understanding around the framework of stages of change, harm reduction, and brain development. Those who attend will develop a common understanding of the FIPG Risk Management Policy around alcohol and drugs. Information can also be tailored to include university policy and how the information compares and contrasts. Ultimately, participants will learn how to create safe events in compliance with the policy through event planning and prevention resources.
This risk management training is geared towards fraternity and sorority leaders (including Presidents, Risk Managers, Social Chairs, Advisors). Based on goals and objectives, the training can be presented in a two, three or four hour format. This is not a keynote intended for a large group audience, it is a training geared for around 100 participants at most.
Our problems are complex; however, solutions to these problems are really quite simple. It’s time to give community leaders the framework and tools needed to create safer environments.

Gravity is Broken:Developing Leaders in Uncertain Times

Steve believes that the most important element of creating leaders is wrapped up in helping all of us understand how broken our current reality is. In fact, he thinks that the things we hold to be most constant — our rituals, our social interactions, our values, our common culture — are completely misunderstood. Unless we understand the real depth of how broken our gravity is, we can never develop leaders or create change that lasts.Understand Reality. + Steve believes that we need to understand just how far off we are in understanding the “absolutes” in our lives in order to start creating change that’s worth working for. He drives you to examine the assumptions in your life, and asks whether you are willing to do anything about changing them.Be Willing to Change Your Plan. + History and tradition are treasured on college campuses. Those traditions provide guidance, advice, and richness to our students as they lead. In this keynote, Steve breaks down the misconceptions we have about our history as student organizations while providing a challenge for us to change our plans dramatically.Know Your Story. + Anyone who has ever changed the world had a story to tell that moved people. Every one of us has a compelling, powerful story to tell. Uncovering that story and learning to tell it well can be the key to unlocking a student leadership experience that is transformational instead of tragic. Steve helps students and professionals understand their own stories while teaching them the potential of a well-told tale.